Newly appointed Dist. 4 Planning Commissioner David Huboi wants
to make Hollister a better place to live and work, and said he
won’t be wasting any time making that happen.
Hollister – Newly appointed Dist. 4 Planning Commissioner David Huboi wants to make Hollister a better place to live and work, and said he won’t be wasting any time making that happen.
Huboi, who was appointed at last night’s City Council meeting, said he will be focusing on issues he looked at as a steering committee member for the city’s recent General Plan update.
“Primarily, the way I see the new General Plan (for the city) is that we’re looking at going back to the old neighborhood concept of where we would live and work in the same community. We want to integrate (land) use instead of segregating it,” Huboi said. “The old rules tend to have big box stores in one area, residences in another, manufacturing in another. We’re moving towards something where you wouldn’t have to commute to work; you could live and work in the same community.”
Huboi, a Hollister-based architect, said it was his time as a citizen representative on the steering committee that motivated him to apply for the Planning Commissioner position Ray Pierce recently vacated.
“It (the steering committee) turned out to be so much fun. It was like an experiment for me, and I think I was able to make some contributions to the project because of my experience as an architect on projects like solar energy, affordable housing, and transitional housing; issues I feel very strongly about,” Huboi said.
Now as a commissioner, Huboi will have the opportunity to go beyond simply making suggestions as a citizen, according to Mayor Tony Bruscia. Although the commission technically serves as an advisory board to the council on things like public requests for building permits, Bruscia said the responsibility is much greater than that.
“They’re more than just an advisory; they’re truly making decisions. Any time anyone wants to build something and they have any kind of questions, they come to the Planning Commission. And unless their decision gets appealed, they often don’t come to the council at all,” Bruscia said.
Planning commissioners serve two-year terms, and Ray Pierce was appointed in July 2001 and again in 2003. His term is set to expire in June of 2005, but Pierce recently moved outside of the city limits. Commissioners are not required to reside in the districts they represent, Huboi said, but they must live in the city.
Outgoing Dist. 4 Councilman Tony LoBue appointed Huboi last night before turning his own position over to Doug Emerson.
“I interviewed several candidates, and David (Huboi) really seemed to be the one who was the most interested in the position,” LoBue said.
The other two councilmen replaced last night – Brian Conroy and Mayor Tony Bruscia – spoke with their replacements Brad Pike and Monica Johnson before Huboi was appointed, Bruscia said.
“I talked to Monica (Johnson) to make sure she was comfortable with it, and I know Brian Conroy spoke to Brad Pike. Tony LoBue discussed it with Doug Emerson, as well. This decision is going to extend way past our time as council members, and we wanted to respect the incoming council,” Bruscia said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
